Decode
by AtobeLover
Summary: For SyrenHug's Web Challenge. Horio listens to the rain to get a secret of Ryoma's, and Ryoma doesn't understand why Horio won't believe in Ryoma's love.


Title: Decode

By: AtobeLover

Summary: For SyrenHug's Web Challenge. Horio listens to the rain to get a secret of Ryoma's, and Ryoma doesn't understand why Horio won't believe in Ryoma's love.

Rated: T

Disclaimer: Nope. NOPE.

A/N: Please excuse my blatant lies about "Respect (and the Lack of it)" being my last because THIS one is. Really. Believe me. I'm sorry I can't stop typing it's an addiction.

It's for SyrenHug's Web Challenge. Here is what she says about the challenge:

[The Web Challenge is a challenge that was thought up by me and totally co-founded by AtobeLover that promotes the writing of weird pairings. We do mostly Ryoma- centric one-shots or fics but it's not limited. The rules are pretty simple:

Since I'm the first one to start I write my weird pairing then at the end of it I throw the next pairing down below. AtobeLover gets to go after me but after that she gets to pick the next pairing and it's free game.

It doesn't matter how many people do that pairing as long as they keep the ball rolling by choosing the next pairing at the bottom. If anyone has any questions then I am ever here.]

So there. Next up is Meadow Wood. Pairing at the bottom of the story. Review if you like it!

* * *

There are only a few things which make Horio shut up. One of them is Ryoma's mouth. Another is yakiniku. The third is rain.

Horio listens, really _listens_ to the rain when it falls, because he feels like each drop is giving him a letter and he has to piece them into words, and then string the words into sentences. He believes it's his responsibility to.

The only things he's come up with until now are _ramen is umeboshi _and _stupidly feels bit green _but he hopes he can decently decode the rain and its secret messages, because he knows that some time or the other, something about Echizen is going to come by, and he doesn't want to miss it.

Ryoma looks over Horio's shoulder as he writes down random letters, and says, "How do you know that's what they're saying?"

"I just know, Echizen-kun."

"Ryoma." Disapproval filters through Ryoma's voice. Horio still won't call him Ryoma.

Horio says nothing, intently focusing on the jumble of letters in front of him.

"Does this one say Momoshiro?" Ryoma says, pointing to a certain cluster. Horio perks up. "I think it does!" If Momoshiro has come by, Echizen won't be far behind.

"Good for you."

Pitter-patter of rain in the background. Ryoma tries to listen. Nothing comes to mind. No letter, no word. He wonders how Horio can hear them.

The classroom is empty, except for the two of them. Ryoma doesn't know why he's still here. He ditched practice to stay, just like Horio did. He just knows that he needs to be where Horio is, because Horio's innocence is shyly attractive, and Ryoma feels like he's holding something very fragile when he takes Horio's hand and holds it and places it on his heartbeat.

* * *

When they kiss, Horio is always the first one to get short of breath.

He pulls away to breathe deeply, in and out, in and out, while Ryoma keeps kissing his lips, his forehead, his nose, moving his hands under Horio's ugly green shirt and touching all the skin he can before it all becomes too much to handle and they just lose control -

* * *

_Momoshiro manga unbearable ride._

Horio blinks at the phrase. Ryoma looks at the disappointment on Horio's face and wants to kiss it away.

"Useless, isn't it, Ryoma?" Horio leans back in his chair. Ryoma's sitting on a desk, so he can't really lean back himself.

"Mada mada dane," Ryoma says, talking low and soft.

"How can I be sure it has to be this way?" Frustration. Horio doesn't look good frustrated, Ryoma thinks. Bragging and arrogance and I-know-more-than-you suits him better.

"Why are you even doing this?"

"Because the rain wants to tell me something about you."

Ryoma stills.

"Oh, come on," he says, when he regains his composure. "What could it want to tell you about me?" He also doesn't know why he's treating the rain as a human being, but being around Horio has changed him. For better or worse, he doesn't know. He doesn't care. It's not affecting his tennis, so to hell with the repercussions of the changes.

"A secret?" Horio really doesn't know. But it's something about Ryoma, which is more than enough to warrant all the effort in the world to find out _what_.

"What secrets do you think I have?"

Horio shrugs. The rain continues, outside the classroom, hard and heavy and cold and numbing.

* * *

Horio refuses to admit to the fact that Ryoma might love him. Maybe it's a case of really low self-esteem, or maybe it's just plain denial, but he just. won't. admit. it.

Ryoma doesn't know how to convince him. He's tried so many times already.

Horio never pushes him away, though. Whenever Ryoma slams Horio up against a wall and practically ravages his mouth, Horio kisses back, touches back, until he's breathless and sweaty and looking at Ryoma as if Ryoma's a god.

* * *

The rain just gets heavier.

Ryoma and Horio sit beside each other and are silent, until Ryoma hooks an arm around Horio and drags him towards himself, closing his mouth around Horio's in an uncharacteristically hot and fiery kiss which make Horio's knees go weak.

"I love you," Ryoma mumbles, trying to keep kissing Horio as he says this. "Please believe me."

Horio doesn't say anything, and that's what makes Ryoma so ... _upset. _He kisses Horio again, sliding his tongue into Horio's mouth, feeling Horio reciprocate the slightest bit. It's heartbreaking and lovely at the same time.

Horio pulls away to grab his pen and start writing. Ryoma sighs.

"I'll tell you all about myself if you just stop that," he says.

Horio puts down his pen. Ryoma glances at the paper and sees his name on it.

* * *

When Ryoma takes off his cap, Horio takes it from him and just holds onto it until Ryoma puts it back on.

There's something about this action that warms Ryoma's heart.

"I love you, you know, Satoshi," he says.

Horio laughs. Laughs. Ryoma is miffed. "Why won't you believe me?"

"Why would you ever love me?" Horio laughs. "I don't have even a year of experience in love."

Ryoma frowns. "Mada mada dane."

So it's low self-esteem issues after all.

* * *

Ryoma is beginning to hate how the rain just won't stop, as he unfolds his life-story to Horio Satoshi, who listens like it's the only thing on his mind (and it probably is).

He hopes doing this will make Horio somewhat receptive to all that Ryoma gives him, emotionally. Because sooner or later what they have (this sort-of relationship) is going to turn into a fuck-buddies thing unless they take care and it is _too beautiful_ to ruin that way.

As he comes to a close, Horio stares at him for a while, before closing his eyes and saying, "Would you believe me if I said I finally believe you?"

Ryoma breathes out. _At last._

"You loving me is the reason I fell in love with you, you know, Satoshi."

It's true. No matter how much Ryoma got attention from all the girls in school, all the girls outside, Horio's bashful crush on him was what affected him the most. So one day he just cornered Horio someplace he doesn't remember anymore and licked Horio's lips and told him "I love you".

Horio had said, "I don't believe you."

* * *

They end up fucking/making love/having sex on the classroom floor, and there's something incredibly dirty about it, in a lot of senses, but it's also pure and untainted and it's probably too much to think over.

As he curls around Horio, he kisses Horio's nape and tries saying it again - "I love you, Satoshi."

Horio says, "I love you too."

Ryoma smiles.

He can understand the rain now.

* * *

Inui/Ryoma.


End file.
